9 steps to being an Editor’s Top Choice

Editors are, by nature, creatures of habit. And, the moment you, as an aspiring writer, have managed to make your mark on them, you are well on your way to becoming the first person an editor chooses each time there is an important assignment to be done. After being on both sides of the fence, i.e. as someone who contributes my work to other sites and someone who receives contributions for my own site, here are 9 qualities I’ve identified which are what most editors look for in any writer. They are:

1. An editor wants a writer who knows the medium in which the editor works
 

When a website caters for storytellers, there is no point in submitting an article which gives a detailed account of the various gadgets in a brand new Mercedes Benz. I kid you not for we did receive such a submission when the focus of our entire website is storytelling. That said, had the writer been a tad discerning he might have been successful in his submission if he had chosen to write a story about these gadgets. For instance, tell us a story about one of his customers who used the new gadgets and something funny happened. So, the lesson from this experience is to always know what a prospective magazine is all about before you submit your work to them. In this day and age, most magazines have websites. Visit them and you’ll be surprised as to how much information you can glean from a simple website.

2. An editor wants a writer who understands the target audience of her resource.

Let’s take the same example as above. What’s the point, I ask you, of submitting a piece on the inner workings of a car to a magazine that caters for work at home mothers or even home decorating? It is imperative that you make yourself familiar with not only the kind of readers the magazine targets, also the level of knowledge that they have. This one aspect will make the difference between a good story and a great story.
 

3. An editor wants a writer who can meet deadlines

Nothing irks me more than a writer who says they’ll submit something for me to use in the next edition of my newsletter and I wait for it. And I wait and wait and wait. It comes about an hour before the newsletter’s finalised and I have to restructure the whole newsletter to fit this one piece in. I no longer accept this as a deadline’s a deadline and though it has annoyed some of my regular contributors, they’ve learnt to send things in on time. Either that or they’ve just been eliminated from the list.

4. An editor wants a writer who can generate new ideas on an old topic

There are only that many ideas that one can generate about a specific topic. One of the ways I’ve found most useful to generate a new slant to an old topic is to invert it. Take this very article, for instance. Its sub-heading is 9 steps to help a Writer be the first choice of any Editor. Now invert this and you can come up with 9 ways to make sure an Editor forgets you as a writer. There you have it, a new article just waiting to be written.

5. An editor wants a writer who may not have all the ideas but is willing to go that extra mile to find out

When you send a query to an editor, sometimes he/she will pose follow-up questions. You should, by right, have the answers to these questions ready. However, if you don’t there is no harm in saying so and adding that you will find out. The caveat to this is that you must fulfill this second part and inform the editor as soon as possible of your findings; because, if you do not do so, an editor will certainly be less confident of your ability to write this piece and forget you altogether.

6. An editor wants a writer who ‘sees where the final piece will be’.
 

I know for a fact that when I tell make a suggestion of where the article I submit should appear on the editor’s website, it certainly enhances my chances of success. Likewise, when people submit to me and tell me in which column or on what page of the website they’d like to have their piece listed, I’m grateful. I do not need to waste precious time trying to figure out which part of my website they were trying to target.

7. An editor wants a writer who makes boring things sound exciting
The ideal way to do this is always to inject humour in your piece. It’s not difficult to do and if it can make an editor laugh, he/she is going to remember you and your writing that much more.

8. An editor wants a writer who gives more that he/she promises

 
Without a doubt, those who contribute more than necessary are always remembered. For example, when I’ve asked for a submission once a week and I receive more than two, I’m remember that particular writer more. Likewise, if you’ve been trusted with an assignment, don’t wait until the final hour before the deadline to send it off, especially your piece has been ready for two days. Just imagine the disaster if the electricity went out or your internet connection failed. You’d not meet the deadline and this will certainly leave a bad impression on the editor.

9. An editor wants the writer to know that he/she’s human

Everybody makes mistakes and insulting an editor who has made an honest mistake about the rejection of your piece will never go down well. There’s nothing more to say about this point than that. 

The relationship between and editor and writer is one that is based on trust. Once it’s earned, there is no doubt that you as the writer will not only impress an editor, you’ll also land many a lucrative assignment.